Child&#39;s scooter



G. A. REID Feb. 1, 1949.

S SCOOTER CHILD 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 27, 1946 G. A. REID CHILDS SCOOTER Feb. 1, 1949.

3 Sheets-sheet 2 Filed April 27, 1946 3. A. REID CHILDS SCOOTER Feb. 1, 1949.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 27, 1946 een atented Feb. 1, 1949 UNITED -IIQHlLDS S-CQOTER George ReidySeattle, Washa-.assignor to North- This invention relates to a childsfscooterf-and tional Yviews ori-line 5 5and B -B respectively of as one of its principal objects aimstoprovide a Fig; 45 and employing a'scalenlared from that vehicle of this characterv engineeredwithafull- -oi-k the 1a-ttenView.` skirted front and rear Vfenders and-:otherwise such I Fig;Y 7 is a -longitudina vertical sectionuon line that the same follows the general linesofa-motor-a 1 1 of lFig. 6.' driven scooter much more-closely than: theacon- ?Fg. 8 is a-perspective View portraying the front ventional childs scooter, and thus has avgreater AAVend ofthe -frame togetlfierv With a bushingY arappeal for the youngster than scooters @heretofore .ranged to..becarriedftheeby andshowin'gthe two devised, parts preliminary to the construction'al st ep of It is a further and important object to-deviseffiluinserting-I theA bushingwithn VVan eye-'forming a childs scooter Which'is-unusually sturdy. A`crotchofthe frame.

It is a still further object of` thein-vention. to lFig. 9 is a fragmentary transverse vertical vsecprovide an all-steel childsA scooter. invWhich.v the tion taken on a linewhichwwould correspond to full-skirted rear fender and` the frame'propermare f that of Eig. 4 and illustrating a -pref redI front produced as a one-piece stamping. 15.- end -rnountingintroducinga lslcxringsuspension;

The invention has the -stil1-further and-.par- Avand y ticular object, of producing a childisscooterfin Fia-'10 is a longitudinalrvertical section on line which the full-skirted Yfront fenderv and the vel-llof-lFig. 9. hicles fork are Welded as an integra-1a.*unit. f'fI-hej present Y' invention provides doubledisk As a further object still. the inventionaims tof-f20- Af-Iont and rear Wheels designatedby the numerals provide a childs scooter in Whichl Welding is re- 20 and 2|, respectively* jfitted in 'eachinstance sorted to as a means ci rigidlyvconnectingnall with a pneumatic tire, as 22 .andf23, and employs iixed parts, excepting only thehandle-.barslwhich avehicle-bodyl aSSi'mbly COmPIiSe/lvbf SIIEK and desirabiy are boitabiy attached torpermit `reavr-rame;,qesisnatedfgenrlllylbanana25.14- maval, '2lispectivey.-- The trnif fork comprehends the It is a still further and particularobjectvtot so two -whee1straddling yoke-arns'l 2-` 2"l` and a attach the handle-oars to the vehiclesorl as Stem 23 arisingztherfljor to free the connecting boltsvf-rornany sheer-stress n 'AQCOICUlg t9 A the DI'SSQH; lflVIitOIL .my` Said The invention has the-yet further and-imporf OIk ispfodud fOm 311,52@ SGSLIWI 'l2-h6 Sem tant object of devising an improved.' suspension BObeing sectionallyof ageneral U- forrn from which between the forwardV end-oi the Airarneand the the fOlkLfrmS eXtIlddwrlywaldly. as HrGlQQQw 'swivel-mounted. fork. l tionsof the side Walls or/ ch'ee'ks ofutlielstem. f Ijhe With these foregoing and-certainiothenobjects back Wall of` the stem@k c onsidered in horizontal and advantages in view-andwhich twill; appear Section, is desirablyI of a Y hapeand atthe base andfbe understood in thecourse ofther-following 35--of; this Wall there isA provided a reentrantwcut .description and claims, the invention. consistsin arranged tofnd a snugt over Vthemcroit/ ne 1 back the novel construction Vand in the 1adaptation f a'uII-skirtedfenderlzi introduced between the andV combination oi parts 1hereinafter-=described fork-arms, this fendernbeing secured byspqtvveldand Claimed ing t9}f. ?i!1;a.1 ,1tesra1,'Part itherk. .The

the present invention. l AofjilieL forlsi,'arfenif rcingpf. 3 Fortherecep- Fig. 2 is a top 10km` view .thelzeot Milon; of axle assemblwiere .aiteilidesribea Fig. 3 is a fragmentary .transverseyertical j secthe folflg-ailrrl anglniSlgts Ofi? ,@ndraletailertion takento an enlarged Vscaleoni-line..3f-g ,of tied as atfillA (Fig, 4).v Y Y l Fig. 1. Abcvetheprown of theintroiiuoediender, there Fie. 4 is a transverse..vertical.seetionamiew isinserted-.between.thehekWallsftthestem a taken through the front, fendergani'.theirame 50 .braketiLQand.this bracket" serves aiuniai on a line inimediateiy to the rear orthe fork and mounting,;for; a swivel pin,l Willvbeherein..

looking in a vforward directionltolgnil ate... the after 'efeifredto in` e' ourse. of describing. the form in Arear elevation, nth e sale be: g 'enlarged ;scqoterfs frontiendgsuspension.t vxhisbafclet, is and the front Wheel and .its aXLebeineLQdQted. i vk,9cm'i. i1'lse.f 1.,.Olfastripof shletsteelbefterns Figs. 5 land 6 are fragmentary horizontal secv'55 verse linesv at intervals of theiensth to terr-n zareotangular figure having the ends overlapped. Spot-welding is employed to join these ends and to secure the bracket in place, and there are provided through the top and bottom Walls of this bracket aligned apertures accommodating the pin.

The stem has its upper part stifiened by a second piece of sheet steel denoted 33, and this stiffened piece in point of its sectional configuration is quite similar to the shape of the stein principal, the stiiening piece being placed in opposing relation to the stein principal, with the cheek walls of the former juxtaposed within the cheek walls of the latter, spot-welding being here again employed to integrate the two. Secticnally considered, the resulting tube-like upper portion the other, the welding step which is then resorted to in holding the wings in juxtaposition serving to permanently secure the bushing in place.

In assembling the frame and fork, the framecarried bushing is inserted in the 'bracket 32 to bring the bore of the bushing into axial alignment with the apertures of the bracket, and the swivel pin, denoted lili, is then inserted from above throughV the registering holes, and a Cotter pin Sie is applied to the lower end. In the arrangement as shown in Figs. 1 through 7, inclusive, the opening between top and bottom walls o the bracket conforms toV the length of the bushing,

i land .the bracket thus holds the bushing against is hexagonal in form. At the head end of the structure, the stem principal and the applied stiffener each present tab-like elements projecting as longitudinal prolongations of the respective cheek walls, and these tabs, which overlie one another, are directed outwardly as two-thickness ears from opposite sides of the stem. These ears are denoted Sil. Fitting over the stem and presenting a socket in its under side into which the ears find a close-fitting engagement is a handlebar 35, and fitting over the tubular ends oi this handle-bar are rubber grips 3%. The handle-bar is secured to the two-thickness ears by bolt-andnut assemblies 31.

As with the described fork, its handle-bar, and the front fender 29, which becomes an integral part ci the work, the frame of the scooter is pressed from sheet steel, and an important characteristic of the frame is the fact of its being drawn from a single piece of sheet steel to include the frame proper and a rear render 33, and with the latter being of a full-skirted type depending by its lower margin below the axial line of the rear wheel. Aligned apertures are provided through these skirts for reception of the axle boit which carries said wheel.

The frame is goose-necked at theforward end in the manner customary to scooters, .and there is provided along each side of the frame a depending ange 39 which runs coextensive ofthe length. Said ange, in more particularity, extends for-- wardly as a prolongation of the fender skirts, and at the front or head end of the goose-neck, and whereat the frame tapers inwardly when viewed in top plan, the two flanges extend as terminal leaves, these leaves being somewhat greater in depth than their flange principals and being each formed with a half-circle vertical groove til beyond which the material projects forwardly as a flat wing ii. These two half-circle grooves are disposed to register, and by the act of drawing the plane wing extremities into juxtaposition and spot-welding, there is provided a bearing accommodating the reception of a bushing, and this bushing, denoted 42, is desirably produced from a strip of sheet steel. The production procedure is one in which the ends are iirst rolled backand the body then turned about a shaping mandrel, with a weld seam being applied to join the abutting edges. The central part of the produced bushing corresponds in point of its diameter and Ven against the fender skirts.

endwise movement. In Figs. 9 and l0 there is illustrated a modified front end mounting characterized in that the'forward end of the frame is spring-suspended from the fork. This latter arrangement, and which I prefer and consequently incorporate in the production model of my scooter, employs a bracket 32 of somewhat greater overall height than the length of the bushing, and introduces a compression spring il between the base wall oi the bracket and the lower end of the bushing, the spring bearing by its head end against a keeper 48, the swivel pin being in this instance denoted 65. y

Reverting to the rear fender of the scooter, there is provided a parking stand AQ. There is nothing .particularly unusual about this stand other than, perhaps, the manner of its support, such support and as distinguished from the axle proper being derived from journal hubs of cap nuts 5B which thread upon the opposite ends of an axle bolt 5l and bear by their hub faces The axle mounting employs ball bearings, as 52 and 53, the outer ring oi one bearing seating in a culpped recess formed at the-hub of one disk, and the outer ring of the other bearing seating in the cupped recess formed in the hub of the other disk of each wheel. Holding the inner rings of the two bearings apart is a spacer 54, and applied externally of the bearings are grease-retaining keepers 55 which are brought firmly to bear against said inner rings kby pressure exerted upon the fenderl skirts from the cap nuts 5D.

As a brake, the scooter employs a foot lever 56 iulcrurned as at 5l 4to a bracket 58 welded to the underside of the fender at the approximate point of juncture with the horizontal reach of the frame. The upper foot-engaging end of the lever projects through an opening 6i) cut in the forward wall of the fender and occupies a more or'less horizontal position exposed to the free or fscooter foot of a child operating the vehicle. As a stand for the childs anchor foot, the horizontal reach of the frame presents a central depression accommodating a rubber mat 6I which is cemented in place. YIt will be noted that the frame, in addition to the reinforcement provided Y by the lateral flanges, is stiiened both at the front and rear ends of the frames horizontal reach, the front stiiening `being obtained by pressing a panel of the material upwardly as at 62 and the rear stiiiening being accomplished by indenting the material, as at 53, at the juncture of the reach with the rear fender.

From the above detailed description of the invention, it is believed that the construction thereof will .at once be apparent. No limitations are to be implied therefrom, it'being my intention that all forms of construction and variations in detail coming within the scope of the hereto annexed claims.aretonbeconsidered as comprehended by the' invention; -Wiat Leitrim, is:

1. The body structure for;Y airchilds Ascooter comprising a `vehiclevframeof Yallfmetal construction presenting a foot-board and a 'full-skirted integral fender to the rearbf the board with 1 downturned 4.flanges -extending f forwardly-l along bothsidesf-ofltheframe prolongations 'of the y:,:lower:marginsof Athe fender fiskirts, and` eti-:forkv .eswivel-mounted.- .uponw the. "forward end f. of -the y: irame.and`.having a i.ull-skirted-l front fender-receive'd. between.. and secured: to' lthe furcate arms iofithei. fork, the` `metalof r the `iframe?` beingvr inbfdented at'. the..point..juncturef off: the foot-board mand.theenderin a-manner tonleave gussethlike webs lat .each side nof. `theftindentation. 1

ln.2..The'frame-pieceA for a childs scooter-comprising anv all-metalmembergpresenting a footboard and having a"fu1l'-skirted integral fender to the rear of the boardil'iormed with the-latter as a uniti'stamping-and 'with downturned--iianges iextendingorwardly along both sides ofthe frame vas prolongations of the lower margins of the fender skirts, the metal of the frame being indented at the point of juncture of the foot-board and the fender in a manner to leave gusset-like webs at each side of the indentation.

3. In Va childs scooter employing a fork member, and having a pin and its complement in a bushing for swivel-Connecting the fork to a frame-piece therefor, the frame-piece comprising a member of sheet-metal construction presenting a foot-board and an upturned neck at the forward end stiifened along each side by downturned flanges running coextensive of the length, said neck, considered in top plan, tapering inwardly toward the front and having the terminal ends of the flanges projecting forwardly in the nature of wings which are brought together and secured about the bushing to lock the bushing to the frame-piece. p

4. The vfork-piece for a childs scooter comprising a member of sheet-metal construction formed with fork arms at the bottom and having an integral stem rising therefrom with the stem being sectionally of a U-shaped configuration and having reinforcing continuous ribs pressed outwardly from the fork arms and from the anking sides of the U-stem to span the shoulder which connects said fork arms with the stem, and having a full-skirted front fender received between and secured to the fork arms as an integral part of the fork-piece.

5. The fork-piece for a childs scooter which comprises an all-metal member formed with fork arms at the bottom and having a stem rising therefrom, said stem comprising a channel principal and an opposing channel stiiener having its flanking walls received between and welded to the anking walls of the principal, said principal and its stiiener each providing tab-like elements projecting beyondthe head end of the stem as longitudinal prolongations of the respective anking walls and bent outwardly at substantial'right angles to the walls to form twothickness ears, said ears being vertically apertured, a handle-bar for the upper end of the stem formed in its underside with a socket closely fitting said ears, and nutted bolts securing the handle-bar to the ears.

y 6. The fork-piece for a 4childs scooter which comprises an all-metal member formed with fork arms at the bottom and having a stem rising therefrom, said stem comprising a channel prin- 'i6 n. c-ipal-istiiened byzan. opnosingly disposed channel membenfhaving its flanking Avvallsz-sreeivedrf'between and -weldedgto therflanking -rwallsVA :of-tithe v principal, theflankingiwalls .Orthe'.principaliand 5 f the flanking.- walls of the stiffenerzeach providing tab-like prolongations:Drolecting:beyondthrnhead l. end or f the, stemA and ybent :-over.; at,:rightsangles lpto thev'walls lto formrtwoethicknessiearsrrand; a {handle-bar.- surmounting the,stemf:and boltably `1 0 secured to said ears.

'7... Thestructure ofrclaim 6. in=vvhich saidstiierred.;v part A- of .f the i fork-piece, xsectionallyacon- ,sideredr is of a. hexagonalvform. l

, frilherear-end structure for a-.childsvscooter 15. whiclji;comprises,fy in combination.:` av reargwheel off..double.-.disc lconstruction having the ..rhubnof each disc inwardly cupped..pandzcentrallyr;apertured-,siballfbearingaassemblies for each side of the wheel seating by a respective outer ring in said `cupped depressions, a frame-piece carried rearwardly along both sides of the wheel and providing transverseiy-aligned apertures adapted to register with the apertures of the wheel, an axle-bolt having its ends threaded and received g5 through said registering apertures of the wheel and frame-piece, a spacer tting over the axlebolt between the inner rings of the two bearing assemblies and bearing by its ends against said inner rings, a U-shaped parking stand arranged to swing about the center of the axle-bolt as an axis and having its two arms each terminally apertured, said apertures being of a diameter exceeding that of the axle-bolt, and cap nuts for the ends of the axle-bolts providing hubs fitting within the last-named apertures to serve as journals for the parking stand, said hubs being of smaller diameter than the heads of the nuts and having a greater length than the thickness of the arms and thus permitting free-swinging movement of the parking stand while being brought firmly to bear against the frame-piece to exert, through the latter, clamping pressure against said inner rings of the bearing assemblies.

9. In a .childs scooter employing a frame-piece and a fork, the mounting by which the front end of the frame-piece is suspended from the fork and which comprises vertically spaced cross-bars iixedly associated with the fork and providing vertically aligned apertures, a bushing carried by the front end of the frame-piece to occupy a vertical position, said bushing being formed at each of its two ends with enlarged heads and having the reduced neck between said heads caught by the frame-piece while the enlarged heads bear top and bottom a ainst the frame-piece tcimmovably secure the .bushing to the frame-piece, said bushing being adapted to be inserted between the cross-bars with its bore in alignment with the aligned apertures of the latter, and a swivel-pin arranged to be dropped through said aligned bore and apertures.

1l). The structure of `claim 9 in which the bushing of sheet-metal `construction having each of the end extremities turned back upon itself to produce the enlarged heads by the double thickness of metal thereby obtained.

11. In a `childs scooter providing a skirted fender and having'aligned apertures in the skirts of the fender, the wheelmounting'therefor and which comprises, in combination with the fender, a double-disc wheel housed by the fender and characterized in that each disc is centrally apertured and provides a central recess concentric to the aperture, a ball-bearing assembly for each side of the wheel comprised of ari outer and an inner ring with a train of balls confined therebetween and fitted in the related recess to have the outer ring bear against the floor of the recess, an axle-bolt having its ends threaded and received through the inner rings of said ballbearing assemblies to project through the latter' and beyond the fender skirts at each side of the scooter, a spacer tting over the axle-bolt between the two bearing assemblies and extending freely 10 114251880 Y through the dise apertures to bear by its ends against the inner rings of `the two bearing assemblies, and cap nuts for said threaded ends of the axle-bolt arranged to bear against the fender skirts and through the latter exert clamping pressure upon the outer faces of said inner rings of the two bearing assemblies.

GEORGE A. REID.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 91,256 Van Doren et al. Deo. 26, 1933 D. 92,386 Blackmore June 5, 1934 Mack Aug. 15, 1922 1,517,808 Strniste Dec. 2, 1924 1,617,337 Lees Feb. 15, 1927 1,931,162 Kranz et a1. Oct. 17, 1933 1,933,421 Elliotte Oct. 3l, 1933 2,111,691 Salsbury Mar. 22, 1938 2,145,436 Sullivan Jan. 31, 1939 2,177,991 Maddock Oct. 31, 1939 2,225,914 Lewis et al Dec. 24, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 136,472 Great Britain Deo. 8, 1919 186,206

Great Britain Sept. 28, 1922 

